Chapter 17: The Thing in the Woods

[wolfpack]

[1d20] = 10

The trail is gone and it is to far to go back. we must quickly build shelter for the night. Leanto's to pack in our bodies heat and a fire outside the opening.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser looks again into the cold relentless, yet beckoning, darkness. He hesitates at the words of his comrade - who speaks the unavoidable truth about the situation. It's time to stop or perish. He offers up his heavy canvas to provide some form of shelter from the raging blizzard.

Con (11) [1d20] = 19

[rredmond]

"Well... here I am." murmurs Rudolph. As he prepares to weather the cold with everyone else.
Constitution check (14) = [1d20] = 6 And thanks the gods for a hobbits overly hairy nature.
Hey Brevos, where's that warmth you promised! he says with a mischievous grin.

Rudolph helps build shelters or even start a fire - if that's possible - with his tinderbox. If we can get a fire going that's somewhat protected from the storm.

[SocraticLawyer]

Con check (12) [1d20] = 5

Urdur helps build shelters from the cold.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Hothhil stifles his urge to say he told them so. Instead, he wraps his hands in his large sacks to protect them from the snow, then helps construct a low-ceilinged shelter to fit them all. Once built, he uses his small shield to dig out the inside and pulls the snow onto the structure for insulation and protection from the winds. He urges the most frail to stay in the middle of the group for warmth. We should spread our bedrolls out for a floor, then cover up with the blankets. Nothing with any sense will be out in this storm so we can probably skip watches tonight. Best we all just try and stay warm. He passes his skin of wine around to warm everyone, warning to about imbibing too much. He also recommends to skip the fire, pointing out that it will be warmer in a fully closed shelter.

CON 12 vs [1d20] = 3

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Sluggish and losing feeling in her extremities, the cleric tries unsuccessfully to help build shelter. Soooo...cooold...mu...must...sss...ssleee... Ingrid is unable to finish her thought. Her body betraying her in the brutal cold, she drops to the ground, curling into a ball.

Constitution Check (10): [1d20] = 16

[Urson]

Pyotr

[1d20] = 7 Con 16

Pyotr does everything he can to help, despite being out of his element. He drags branches and helps spread tentage, grinding his teeth in frustration. When the group is inside the shelter, he'll make sure to be on the outside of the huddle. He lights his bullseye lantern, hoping the heat it throws off will help.

I'm glad Yvan stayed in the common house , he mutters.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo badly wants to give Ingrid a piece of his mind. This isn't the first time she has endangered the entire group by rushing into danger without thinking, and all in the name of goodness? And Brevos should have known better himself, continuing to lead the group further away from the safety of the town in this mess. Even after they were warned about the amount of snow coming. Why didn't I just stay in that nice warm building?

"I will no longer continue to follow along with those of you who refuse to put common sense before your desire to do good. This blunder will likely be the deaths of us all out here. How much good do you think will come of all of us freezing to death? Or being lost in a storm? To put yourself at this kind of risk for little or no gain is insane! For what have we really accomplished here?"

The druid has a few spells left that he could use to help out his freezing friends, but he is starting to feel weak himself from the bone chilling wind, snow, and cold. He thinks about calling up a wide swath of vegetation again, the same trick he used in the swamp, but he isn't sure if he has the strength left to wield his magic.

Con Save (10) [1d20] = 14

Plant Growth might help here, or Heat Metal, or Produce Flame, if we cant get a fire lit in this weather?

How are you handling reverse spells, Mr. DM? Is Protection From Cold an option here?

[AleBelly]

Mondegreen ignores the bickering that will inevitably start, and gets to work helping Brevos improvise a shelter. Umbra mews from within his pocket. "Shut up! Yes, yes. I heard you twice the first time!"

CON save (15) [1d20] = 1

[Urson]

Pyotr

Pyotr grinds his teeth as he works, desperately wanting to agree with Bo, but not willing to make things worse.

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis hooks Ingrid under the shoulders and, struggling through the mounting carpet of snow, drags her into the makeshift lean to, once it's ready. He tries to stomp the feeling back into his feet as he scowls at Bo and shakes his head in disapproval. "That's negative thinking, Bo. Stinking thinking, if you ask me. We're here, so let's make the best of it you oversized tree-hugger. Now grow some weeds or something," he says. Turning to Hothil he adds "I'm no ranger, but you sure we don't need a fire? A warm fire is all I can think about right now."

Save vs. CON (12): [1d20] = 7

[Rusty Tincanne]

Hothhil nods to Telkis. Fires are well and good, but they require one side of the shelter to remain open to the freezing air. The wind will keep us from ever warming inside, and someone will need to forage for more wood all night, digging deep into the cold snow. If we just close ourselves inside, like a grouse or dog does, our bodies will warm the space and we can be more comfortable. He doesn't wait for anyone to back him up, though he expects the ranger and druid, at the least, to understand.

Some folks on the boards draw from SCA fighting experiences, etc. I draw from a history of winter camping and a couple attempts at survivalist stuff when I was in college. Though they add great atmosphere to a campsite, fires aren't all their cracked up to be!

[wolfpack]

If we pack enough snow on the shelter it will trap and amplify our body heat and fire will not be needed. a door of tied together branches covered with blankets over the opening will help trap the heat in

[Inferno]

The Shadow of the Wooded Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day One. Night. Saturday, November 12th, 576 CY
Blizzard, windy, frigid







Icicles form on faces. Teeth chatter uncontrollably behind blue lips. Frigid iron armor drains away all the warmth a body can hold.

The heroes are lost in a blizzard in the doom-haunted woods of the dark, ancient mountains. No one knows how many hours til the dawn.

Brevos the ranger and Hothhil the elf try to teach the others how to build shelter, but cannot be heard over the unceasing wind. They must do it themselves while deaf, half blind, shivering and wind-blasted.

Pyotr and Urdur untie themselves from Ingrid and each other. They stagger to Mondegreen and join him in foraging through the icy darkness for wood and branches for Brevos and Hothhil. The half-orc mariner wishes he could go below deck to wait out this deadly squall.

Unfurled canvases and blankets are lost to the voracious wind. Twice, shelter roofs blow away.

Rudolf the urban rogue can't get a fire alight in the hurricane gale. Building one inside a shelter threatens to ignite the makeshift structure, and everyone within it.

Bo, Mouser and Ingrid collapse to the ground, freezing and exhausted (-3hp each). They are soon buried alive in falling snow. All they want to do is sleep. Just for a minute they tell themselves. Just for a second.
Telkis drags them inside the first shelter once it nears completion but they can't get warm. They can't stop violently trembling. (and are unable to cast any spell with a somatic component.)


Actions?! (Actions to cover the overnight please.
Everyone please Save vs Spells and post your actions regardless of the outcome.
Also:
One doorless shelter is done and it holds three people. How many more shelters do you build, and how many bodies does each one hold?
Do they have doors (which will take longer to build)?
Are you foregoing a nightwatch, as Hothhil suggested? If not, is the watch posted outside a shelter? Thanks.)


Region Map:

X = Supposed location of the ancient shrine to the Evil that plagued Briarsgate.
The heroes' location is unknown at this point.





PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/15, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Hothhil Thornbush, Elven Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 20/20
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 19/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl and 4/4 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 4(3), HP: 27/30, Spells: 3/6 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl
  Mondegreen Cindereye, Human Magic-User 2: Move: 9", AC: 9, HP: 12/12, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Pyotr Whitetip, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 30/30
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 12/12
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 32/32
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 9/9, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl and 1/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• None currently.

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)

[Rusty Tincanne]

Seeing the fruits of their combined labor merely shelter the three neediest, Hothhil redoubles his effort to create a second and then a third shelter in the same manner as before. He tries to arrange them so they open toward a central location. Realizing doors will take too long to construct, he suggests Rudolf use a flask of oil to ignite a centralized fire.

I thought they'd just weight a blanket over the opening and allow the snow to block folks in. We might try that for all but the last shelter. If that doesn't work, then a centralized fire is probably best. And...
url=http://www.unseenservant.com/default.as ... 93&macid=0]Spell 16 vs [1d20] = 20[/url]
Booyah!!! A CRIT!!!!

[ravenn4544]

Mouser shivers as his mind closes in on itself. It doesn't feel so cold anymore. Not in the heat and humidity of the cavern. Not with the heat of battle fresh on their souls. Not with the deaths of comrades sucked back into the mud forever. The heat of the mud. The heat of the mud. The heat...

Save vs Spells (12) [1d20] = 17

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur helps to build more of the doorless shelters for the group.

"No sense in setting a watch, with all this," he says, indicating the blizzard.

Save vs spell (12) [1d20+4] = 15+4 = 19

[wolfpack]

Build the shelter without a door but place blankets over the opening using stone and and tying it to keep it in place, this will help block the wind. when inside the shelter armor needs to be off and people pressed together to touching with a blanket over them to share body heat. (the mention above about being naked actually works to help people warm up and that way no sweat evaporates on the clothing causing it to freeze.)

Some use oil to make a fire, stick some stones in the fire, when they get hot they can be placed inside the shelter the heat the room.

[Urson]

Pyotr

When the 3 who are the worst off are placed in the shelter, Pyotr adds his (already lit) bullseye lantern, knowing that the flame will provide a lot of heat in the closed space.

Gritting his teeth against the cold, Pyotr works to try and build 2 more shelters so the rest of the party can get inside.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo mumbles to himself about balance as he freezes to death in the blizzard.

Save vs. Spells (14) [1d20] = 15